If I steal money by hacking into someone's bank account and the bank reverses the transaction, should I complain?
These 3rd party sites "gain access" into Rogers systems to unlock the iPhones...not very different here.

It's not the same because unlocking an iPhone does not automatically make your ETF zero. If your hands are still tied in a contract, what difference does it make? It is silly.

Owner of hunks of metal, silicon, glass, plastic with 1s and 0s and some electrons powering them.

It's not the same because unlocking an iPhone does not automatically make your ETF zero. If your hands are still tied in a contract, what difference does it make? It is silly.

Logically and reasonably, it makes no difference. But with that argument, no locking makes any sense (and it doesn't). But that hasn't stopped them from locking our phones.

The fact is that Rogers does lock and has a specific policy and price for unlocks. If their own systems are being used to circumvent their polices and denying them the revenue they intended to collect (rightly or wrongly), of course they will shed no tears if they clamp down and reverse those activities.

I am not certain they don't still make the $50 for these unlocks. It's one thing for the boys inside to make a little cash on the side by doing the unlocked for a fee, but it is another for them to process the unlocks without paying Rogers. As much as I disagree with Rogers charging for unlocks, if an employee utilizes the company systems to perform a services that is chargeable and doesn't submit the proper payment, that is as much theft as if they were walking out with phones or sweethearting their friends at the till. The guys doing it might risk getting fired for putting through improper unlocks. They might risk get charged if they are stealing. Big difference. If Rogers is still getting paid, that might explain them turning a blind eye for the most part and clamping down somewhat when it starts getting out of control.

Micro SIMs are easy to find, of chop down a regular miniSIM. Nano will be more difficult in both regards. But for anyone that travels out of the country even once per year can save a ton using local SIMs.

I do travel to the US frequently for business

But, using a AT&T SIM is pointless. People will not have my new number and even if they did, why would they call long distance to talk to me. If I call back to Canada, it is the same problem. It is no different if I travel abroad, it is actually worse.

What is so important that I must have a cell phone? If it is for local calling, I am better off using a pay phone or a hotel phone.

Back full circle, if you unlock your phone and go to the US or abroad, what does having the ability to use another carrier's SIM do for you? Local calls? Not worth the expense.

But, using a AT&T SIM is pointless. People will not have my new number and even if they did, why would they call long distance to talk to me. If I call back to Canada, it is the same problem. It is no different if I travel abroad, it is actually worse.

What is so important that I must have a cell phone? If it is for local calling, I am better off using a pay phone or a hotel phone.

Back full circle, if you unlock your phone and go to the US or abroad, what does having the ability to use another carrier's SIM do for you? Local calls? Not worth the expense.

For me in particular, I have US calling and call forwarding my in my plan. So when I use a US SIM, people call my regular number and it rings my US number. If they text me, I have those forwarded to my US number too. If I call back to Canada, I use my Google voice account and it is a free call.

What's so important about having a cell phone? Nothing I guess, but then I like to be connected when I am at home and when I travel. Forgetting calls for a moment, when I travel I like to have access to data, especially for looking things up like directions or venues, etc. That would cost a mortgage payment if I was to use data roaming. Using a local SIM is dirt cheap for data. Others get cheap add-ons to call Canada, others, like AT&T have very cheap per minute rates to Canada ($0.10/minute I think). Calling to Canada is not a problem.

So what does a local SIM give me? Access to data and call and data usage that is almost identical to when I am at home without having to sell a kidney. Basically is allows me to use it like I am at home.

But, using a AT&T SIM is pointless. People will not have my new number and even if they did, why would they call long distance to talk to me. If I call back to Canada, it is the same problem. It is no different if I travel abroad, it is actually worse.

What is so important that I must have a cell phone? If it is for local calling, I am better off using a pay phone or a hotel phone.

Back full circle, if you unlock your phone and go to the US or abroad, what does having the ability to use another carrier's SIM do for you? Local calls? Not worth the expense.

But not everyone travels to the great USA only....

When I went abroad for a good 8 weeks last summer, those local micro SIMS were quite handy in dodging the robbers roaming charges. Gevey ftw.

Love how the nexi always come unlocked though. Carriers can just shove their locks up.

Owner of hunks of metal, silicon, glass, plastic with 1s and 0s and some electrons powering them.

When I went abroad for a good 8 weeks last summer, those local micro SIMS were quite handy in dodging the robbers roaming charges. Gevey ftw.

Love how the nexi always come unlocked though. Carriers can just shove their locks up.

Yep. When I went to Jamaica earlier in the year, the goal was to pick up a local SIM so I could use Dell Voice to make and receive calls from home (again, people from Canada would call my Canadian number, which was forwarded to my DV number) and use data. In the end I didn't actually do this, because one of the guys I went with broke his foot before we left, so we ended up staying on the resort and used the hotel wifi for data and VOIP calls. But if we had gotten off the resort as much as we had originally planed, being able to call and receive calls from my wife and kids was the goal. Having a locked phone would have handicapped this entirely. Paying to use hotel phones for LD calls to canada would have also had insane prices.

Yep. When I went to Jamaica earlier in the year, the goal was to pick up a local SIM so I could use Dell Voice to make and receive calls from home (again, people from Canada would call my Canadian number, which was forwarded to my DV number) and use data. In the end I didn't actually do this, because one of the guys I went with broke his foot before we left, so we ended up staying on the resort and used the hotel wifi for data and VOIP calls. But if we had gotten off the resort as much as we had originally planed, being able to call and receive calls from my wife and kids was the goal. Having a locked phone would have handicapped this entirely. Paying to use hotel phones for LD calls to canada would have also had insane prices.

I am going to the Dominican Tomorrow.
$55 for 1 week WiFi Hotspot rental with unlimited data
$20 for Skype-In Number
$0 Unconditional Call Forwarding to Skype
3cents / min for calls in and out.

Total Cost of roaming: $75 + 3cents / min and I don't have to "restrain" myself. This covers me, my girlfriend, and our laptops.

Got some more info. The person at Rogers that was doing the iPhone 5 unlocks got in a lot of trouble during a "routine audit" within the department.

Weird that there are different people that do iPhone 5 unlocks. I would have that person, and the whole team, would do all iPhones. That he got busted and it closed down only illicit iPhone 5 unlocks is strange to me.